Page 27 of Hunter
“Still, Louisa possesses a brain, so you know, don’t get your hopes up for an easy date,” I say rather cruelly.
“Fine,” he huffs with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Can I at least go and say hello?”
“Of course,” I reply, feeling relieved, “and it’s Daniel. I don’t respond to Danny.”
A shitty attitude makes me feel better about giving him the go-ahead to ask out the girl who won’t get out of my head. I can only hope she knocks him down flat.
Chapter 12
Louisa
Phoenix is beginning to act shifty again, keeping secrets from me and wearing a scowl he usually reserves for public holidays. Christmas is a particularly hard time for us; ever since we lost Dad. Thuggish-looking men float in and out of the bar, ones I’ve never seen before, but he appears to know them, and I don’t like it, not one bit. Phoenix has been in trouble before, but this time, he’s anxious about it. I can tell because he’s smashing through glasses at a fast rate of knots. I tallied up twelve pint glasses last night; his personal best has only ever been in the single digits.
Jake is also eyeing my brother with suspicion, which only adds to my growing concerns over his general moody ass attitude. Zena, one of the local girls comes over to ask me to dance but I’m not up for it. I have too many thoughts battling with one another, so I smile politely and decline before slumping over the bar. I begin fidgeting with a coaster to give my anxious fingers something to do, all the while staring into space. The sound of a scuffle and angry shouting breaks me from my fog, so I lift my eyes to try and find the culprits.
To my horror, I find Phoenix gripping hold of Antonio by the lapels of his leather jacket, his teeth clenched and wearing an expression that tells me he’s ready to turn into a psychotic bull at any moment. My former boyfriend looks back at him with little expression, taunting him with his indifference over the situation. Jumping off my stool, I march over and try to reach for my brother’s arms, but he merely shucks me off without taking his angry eyes away from Antonio.
“Evening, Lou,” Antonio purrs with his thick accent, the one that once upon a time, used to do unspeakable things to me. When I lost my virginity to him, he whispered Spanish words of love and affection inside of my ear. I think it was the only thing that got me through the sting of it. After that first time, his Spanish melodic voice served as a means to turn me on in the most intoxicating way possible.
“Louisa, get the hell out of here!” Phoenix positively barks at me, which instantly pisses me off. “Ortega, what the fucking hell makes you think you can saunter into my bar after what you pulled the other night? Louisa is no longer your concern, and she is strictly off-limits! Do.You.Understand?”
“Oh, come on, Phoenix,” Antonio smiles innocently, “Lou and I share a history, don’t we, baby?”
I sneer at him before turning back to try and calm my brother; this is my battle, not his.
“Phoenix, I can handle myself. Let him go and I’ll talk to him,” I say, trying to sound gentle, but can’t help the edge of frustration lacing my voice.
I’m growing tired of my big brother trying to keep me like a teenage kid that needs protecting every damn minute of the day. It’s like he’s suffering from some sort of knight in white armor complex but I’m his only damsel to practice on. The boy clearly needs a girlfriend and not the sort he normally goes for, which is fiery with a side of tattoos and body piercings. Most of Phoenix’s old flames were much too dominant and independent for his personality; it was like watching two pit bulls warring against one another before making out and God only knows what.
“Over my dead body!” he snaps.
“That can be arranged,” Tony replies with a wicked smirk, to which I mouth ‘fuck you’. I’m gifted with him blowing a kiss my way. Asshole.
“Listen, Phoenix” I begin, placing my tiny hand over his bulging bicep, trying to soften the rage coursing through his veins, “we’ll sit right over there, and you can watch from the bar. What do you think will happen other than I can find out what this ass wants and then we can all move on?”
My logical argument has Phoenix huffing with irritation, but ultimately, it does the trick. He drops Tony unceremoniously to the floor. He then shakes his head at me before shoving a meaty finger into Tony’s chest.
“Don’t try anything, asshole! I’m watching!”
I stare at my retreating brother as he barges past a few locals who are thankfully already familiar with his attitude. I then take a breath of courage before returning my gaze to my old flame, a guy I thought I’d end up with. He gives me a kiss on the cheek, lingering a little too long for politeness, so I turn around to lead us over to an empty booth in the corner. I slide in one side, being careful to position myself on the end so Tony can’t sit next to me. Jake soon swings by with another glass of coke for me, pats me on the shoulder and then walks away without any acknowledgement for Tony.
“Aren’t you going to take my order?” he calls out to Jake as he walks away.
“Nope!” Jake shouts back without looking, and I can’t help giggling.
“I’ve missed that sound,” Tony says softly to me, ceasing my laughter within an instant. “In fact, I’ve missed you.”
“Cut the crap, Tony, what do you want?”
He laughs over my bluntness, then leans in closer.
“I need you to talk to your brother for me,” he says, “Javier needs your boy to come out of retirement for a job. You know the kind I mean.”
He eyes me with a shit-eating grin, which angers me more, especially after what he’s just asked me to do.
“Wait,” I begin angrily, “you want me, your ex-girlfriend, who you hurt beyond repair, to ask my brother to risk his life, freedom, and morals, to help you and your seedy gang bump off some dude who probably has nothing to do with either of us? Is that right?”
“I messed up,” he sighs and reaches for my hand, but I pull it back too quickly to let him make contact. “I didn’t know how to handle this new life that was thrust upon me, and I didn’t know how to help you, Lou. I was destroyed after what happened to you; I didn’t know how to fix you!”